


Poetry in Motion

by SlantedKnitting



Series: kinkalot 2020 challenges [10]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Feelings, M/M, Modern Era, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:08:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26234659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlantedKnitting/pseuds/SlantedKnitting
Summary: Merlin lets Arthur read something personal.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: kinkalot 2020 challenges [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861774
Comments: 16
Kudos: 102
Collections: Kinkalot 2020





	Poetry in Motion

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for Team Dragon's bingo card prompt "poetry"

Merlin was bent over his desk, scribbling away, and Arthur was bored. He’d read as much of his book as he could bother, there was nothing on the telly, and none of the games on his mobile were calling to him.

Some days he longed for the time when life was more simple, less complicated by modern desires and attention spans.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hm?”

“What are you working on?”

Merlin flipped a page in his notebook and kept writing. “Nothing.”

“It’s obviously not nothing. You’ve been at it for an hour.”

“Something, then.”

Arthur huffed. He grabbed one of Merlin’s book off the shelves and flipped through it, trying to find his favourite passages. He’d read Merlin’s books so many times that he had them practically memorised, but it was still special to read the words on the page.

He started to read out loud, mostly to annoy Merlin, but Merlin didn’t even seem to notice.

Giving up, Arthur put the book back and got up from the sofa, going over to Merlin’s desk.

“What are you working on?” he asked again.

Merlin closed his notebook. “Nothing, I told you.”

“Is it for your next book? I thought you preferred typing.”

“I do.”

“So it’s not for your next book?”

“No.”

“Have you started keeping a journal?”

“No.”

Arthur sighed. “Fine.” He went into the kitchen to make some tea. Merlin had been holed up with his notebook at his desk more and more recently, and it was starting to get frustrating. He was so cagey about whatever he was doing, and he wasn’t normally like that. Normally he let Arthur read what he was working on. Normally he even asked Arthur to read multiple drafts. Whatever was in the notebook was different, though.

When he came back into the sitting room, Merlin was gone, but his notebook was open on the sofa.

Arthur sat and lifted the notebook curiously.

“Merlin?” he called out. There was no response.

He looked down at the pages and started to read.

The first thing he noticed was that it wasn’t paragraphs or even sentences. It was just fragments, thoughts, imagery, phrases, sometimes just single words.

It was poetry, about Arthur, about the life they’d lived back then, about the years Merlin had spent alone, about Arthur’s return. The feelings on the page were raw, unedited, unself-conscious. Here was Merlin laid bare in his own words, by his own hand, and he was letting Arthur read it.

Arthur closed the notebook and went upstairs to find Merlin curled up on the bed. He climbed on the bed, slotting himself behind Merlin and wrapping an arm around him.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

Arthur pressed a kiss to the back of Merlin’s neck. “When did you start writing poetry?”

“A couple weeks ago. I used to, back when I… when I was waiting for you. I started to miss it.”

“It was beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Merlin whispered.

Arthur gave Merlin’s neck another kiss, and then another, and then he reached for the hem of Merlin’s shirt and tugged it off over his head.

“What are you doing?” Merlin asked, rolling onto his back.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Arthur kissed a trail down Merlin’s chest. “You mean the world to me, Merlin. Don’t ever forget that.”

Merlin tugged a little at Arthur’s hair and pulled him up for a kiss. His lips were rough, hungry, and Arthur licked into his mouth.

“Inside me,” Merlin said when Arthur pulled back. “Please. Now.”

Arthur hurried to get them both out of the rest of their clothes. Merlin clung to him the whole time, making it more difficult, but Arthur didn’t complain. He felt wanted, needed in a way Merlin rarely expressed.

He grabbed their lube and spread it over his fingers as he pushed Merlin’s legs apart with his other hand.

“I love you,” he said, leaning down for a kiss as he pushed a finger into Merlin’s hole.

Merlin sighed and clutched at Arthur’s shoulders. “More. Come on.”

Arthur added a second finger.

“Please,” Merlin said, and Arthur could hear in his voice how desperate he was.

“Hey.” Arthur pulled his hand away and sat up between Merlin’s legs, rubbing his thighs. “You okay?”

Merlin pushed himself up and grabbed at Arthur’s hair, pulling him in for a kiss. “I need you. I need you always. I need you in a way I can hardly stand.”

Arthur exhaled, a shiver running down his spine even as his chest warmed. He held Merlin close, listening to him breathe.

“I can’t stand it, either,” he whispered. “I can’t put it into words the way you can. I meant what I said. Your poetry is beautiful. It brought me right back to the old days.”

“Do you miss them?”

“Sometimes.”

“Do you wish you hadn’t come back?”

Arthur cupped Merlin’s face gave him a soft kiss. “Never.”

Merlin pressed their foreheads together for a few seconds and then shifted, getting his legs on either side of Arthur’s waist and lifting himself up. Arthur leaned back a little and held his cock still so Merlin could sink down onto it.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur’s neck and started rolling his hips, rocking against Arthur. Arthur got his hands on Merlin’s back, holding him close, and buried his face in Merlin’s neck.

“I need you,” he said, low enough that he wasn’t sure Merlin could hear him. “Every fucking second of the day, I need you.”

“You’re my sun,” Merlin said, and Arthur tried to think if that was a line from his poems. “And my air. My whole life.”

Arthur shifted up for a kiss. Merlin gave it to him, hard, and Arthur started shoving his hips against Merlin’s, working up a proper rhythm. They were so warm and close, and Merlin was trembling, and Arthur’s heart was so full, and he couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have this.

Merlin reached between them to start pulling on his cock, and Arthur tipped him forward until his back hit the bed.

“Don’t stop,” Merlin groaned.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Arthur started fucking him again, as deep as he could, and Merlin resumed stroking himself.

“Arthur,” Merlin said after a minute. “Please.”

Arthur picked up speed and ducked down for a kiss. “What do you need?”

“Just you.” Merlin wrapped his free hand around the back of Arthur’s neck and licked up into his mouth. Arthur could feel his hand moving between them. “Only you.”

“You have me.”

Merlin smiled, and Arthur moved in for another kiss, needing Merlin’s lips on his own, needing to feel that smile against his own mouth.

Merlin pulled his other hand out from between them, getting his fingers tangled up in Arthur’s hair instead, and let Arthur fuck him apart.

“Merlin,” Arthur warned, their lips still pressed together.

“Yeah,” Merlin moaned. “Come inside me.”

Arthur shuddered at the command and did so, hips twitching, cock pulsing, mouth open. Merlin leaned up and tugged on Arthur’s lower lip with his teeth, swiping his tongue across it. Arthur groaned and let himself collapse onto Merlin for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

“I’ve got you,” Merlin whispered, massaging his scalp.

Arthur waited until his heart was no longer pounding in his chest before sitting up and pulling out. He leaned down, taking Merlin’s cock in his mouth, and Merlin’s hips arched off the bed as he gasped.

“I’m not—” Merlin got his hands back on Arthur’s hair. “I’m so—”

Arthur murmured encouragement, rubbing the tip of tongue along the underside of Merlin’s cock as he sucked. Merlin let out a shaky moan as he came, his fingers tightening their grip, his hips shaking.

Arthur swallowed and gave Merlin’s cock a few gentle licks before sitting back up.

“Come here,” Merlin said, his expression open and tired and so full of love.

Arthur leaned down for a kiss. “Thank you for letting me read what you’ve been working on.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I love you.”

Merlin smiled easily. “I love you, too.”


End file.
